“Gabby: Calling Businessmen Politicians Hurts Economic Progress”

Leading New Patriotic Party (NPP) member Gabby Otchere-Darko has warned against the dangers of labeling businessmen as politicians and treating them with hostility. According to him, this conduct destroys businesses and stifles economic growth. Otchere-Darko expressed his desire for a time when businessmen will be seen as just that, without being painted with political colors. “I yearn for the day when business people will just be business people and not be treated with a party political brush. Not NPP businessman or NDC businessman. They just want their business to succeed and create jobs. The tagging destroys. It stifles growth in Africa,” the private legal practitioner wrote on his X platform.

His comments come at a time when Majority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has cautioned the National Democratic Congress (NDC) against attempts to destroy Ghanaian businesses. This follows the NDC’s criticism of the agreement between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML). The NDC has called for the prosecution of those involved in the deal and the immediate termination of all contracts between SML and the GRA. They also demanded the retrieval of all payments made by the government to SML under the “illegal agreements,” which they claim have caused a huge financial loss to the state.

However, Afenyo-Markin countered that the NDC’s call for prosecution is unfounded, as there is no established proof of any officer of state causing financial loss to the state. He accused the NDC of doing “politics as usual” and warned against destroying Ghanaian businesses. The development highlights the ongoing debate about the role of politics in business and the need to separate the two to promote economic growth.